The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1887-07-21
CHATTANOOGA.

The GREAT battle Of Chickamauga
VA fought on Saturda! and Sunday.
The 10Th and 10Th Of September. 1868.
During the night Of the goth the
Army Of the Cumberland, under the
command Of General George Il.
Thomas. withdrew from the battlefield
10 the new position in front OF RosSville.
All day long on the 2lSt the two armies
remained i'm line of battle. The Union
army were here united. presenting a
bold and defiant front. The army OF
General Bragg, although greatly out
numbering the troops OF General
Thomas. had been badly crippled and
80 repeatedly rcpulsed in their charges
on the 10Th instant that on this day
they made no aggressive movement.
The main object Of the campaign had
been accomplishments forcing OF
Brag.s army To relinquish the strong
hold. of Tullahoma and Chattanooga.
The flank movement made by General
Ro>ecrans with the Army of the
Cumberland forcing Bragg's retreat
from Chattanooga, was one OF the
finest stragetic movements made during
the entire civil war. 1t SO alarmed the
Confederate Government that all its
energies were at once directed to the
overthrow and humiliation of Rose
Grams and his army. To effect tina,
purpose General Longstreet, Lee
ablest general. with three veteran di.
visions from the army of Northern Vir.
ginia. General Buckner's Corps from
East Tennessee. with troops from
Charleston and Mobile. were sent to
Bragg. swelling the rebel roll to Il hun.
bred thousand seasoned veteran sol.
dicrs. This grand army Of rebel gray
in the valley Of the Chickamauga fol
two consecutive days We're hurled in
desperate charges against the lines 81
Union blue and were invariably re-.
pulsed with such terrible slaughter that
on this 2i>t day Of September the two
armies remained inactive. glaring a,
each other like two gladiatorS Of old
Having now secured the concentration
oil his troops and the safety Of his train'
General Ro-ecrans decided to withdraw
his army to Chattanooga. To accom-
pli-h that object the division of Genera
John NJ. Brannan. was designated a
the rear guard.
Under cover of the darkness o
night the withdrawal Of the Army o
the Cumberland was effected. Til,
morning light of the 22d disclosed t
the Confederate leaders the fact tina
onl, the rear guard Of the Army of tn,
Cumberland was on the front. S;ron:
accommodating parties sent out con
fined that fact. Near noon the Con.
federate advance commenced. the di
vision Of General Brannan slowly re
treating. warmly contesting tn
ground as they retreated, delaying tn
advance as much rs possible to civ,
General Rosecrans time to complete
his defensive lines around Chattanooga
The Union lines were in form Of I:
crescent commencing on the left at tn
river. above Chattanooga, and extend
ing around the town to the mouth =
Chattanooga creek below. Bragg
main army took possession on the ores
of Missionary Ridge. with an advanc
line ut the foot of the ridge, his picket
advanced some half mile in the vale
beyond The Union troops were 500
after withdrawn from the heights o
Lookout Mountain, which was guickl
occupied by The troops of Genera
Longstreet, his batteries commandin,
the river and road running from Chat
tanoo"a to Bridgeport. The onl
road now remaining open for tn
furnishing Of supplies to Genera
Ro~ccrans' army was the mountai
road to the rear across Walling'
Ridge to the Sequatche Valley an
thence to Bridgeport. With the abandon
ment of Lookout Mountain the scig
of Chattanooga practically began. Til
supplying Of the Army of the Cumbel
land over this mountainous road was
difficult a well as labnrious undertak
ing. and to add still more to the Difficult
ties to be encountered, the Confederat
General Wheeler. with division {
cavalry. early in October crossed tn
Tennessee river above Bridgeport, anc
rapidly moving up the Scquatche Va
lev to Anderson's cross roads, mad
successful attack on the supply trains
destroying and burning some fou
hundred wagons loaded with ration
and forage and capturing and KILN
large number of the horses and mule
The loss Of the wagons and the mule
was severe blow to the army at Cha
tanooga. and from this time forwal
the amount Of supplies arrivingat Cha
tanooga gradually diminished until I'll
Army Of the Cumberland was in dan
ger of starvation. These facts wer
well known to General Bragg, and fl
these events he was quietly waiting
Bragg was well acquainted with tn
topography of the country and knee
all the roads that could be utilized
the forwarding Of supplies to Chattal
ooga. With Lookout Mountain in h
possession, and controlling the rivt
road to Bridgeport, he knew very we
that for General Rosecrans to suppl
an army of thirty-tive thousand me
with rations and the requisite numbt
of animals with grain and forage, oy'
rough and mountainous road, di
lance of sixty miles. was an impossibi
ity. and unless the army at Chattano
"a. received achievements the cal
itulation of the Army of the Cumb :
land or the evacuation Of Chattanoos
was only question of time, for whit
he could afford to wait. 1t is not vel
easy for those living in plenty to reali;
the horror and the suiierings that ;
army in a state of siege are called {
to endure A the time passed, Il
means Of transportation OF supplies b
came more limited, the quantity of r
tons so small that at different tim
during the seige the writer has witnes